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Session 10 - Together Again
While the others were dealing with the intrigues around the Festival of Excelsion, human druid Fairy Dragon was traveling south of Victor after experiencing a dream where a silver doe appeared to them and passed by landmarks before disappearing into darkness. Fairy Dragon managed to head in the right direction, although found themself on the wrong side of the river. The druid shapeshifted into a minnow and began to swim across the river, but was soon caught up by a hunting hawk and flown down the river a short distance. Changing back to human form, the druid tumbled down into the river and managed to crawl up on the shore before pressing on. Later at night, Fairy Dragon found the grove of an enormous oak tree they'd seen in their dream. Upon entering the grove the druid felt calmness and at peace. They noticed there were carvings in the oak tree, but couldn't decipher them, and instead laid down in the crook of a root of the great tree and slept peacefully. Early the next day Fairy Dragon saw two enormous, weather-worn statues in the distance, the second landmark the doe had passed in the dream. Sharing a lunch was the washed up dwarven mercenary Veit Rummenheim and a fairly average looking scholar named D'arcy Myrios (PC of Robert). The dwarf spotted Fairy Dragon creeping through the woods towards them, and hefted a large crossbow in the druid's direction, but Fairy Dragon avoided any conflict. The other travellers were surprised to see anyone else wandering about this far south, and Veit explained they were looking into a possible goblin settlement for someone in Victor, though he would not say who. They decided to travel onwards, and went south another couple of hours into a forest that seemed increasingly lifeless and without colour. D'arcy was able to hone in on an acrid smell in the air, and delivered them to a small stream that faintly glowed greenish-blue with a rough dirt road following it up into some hills. In the distance, up the hill, they could see a wall, and D'arcy proposed that Fairy Dragon use their shapeshifting abilities to fly above and report back to them, as all Veit needed was to report back to Victor with what they'd found. As a hawk, Fairy Dragon circled up into the sky and takes in the view. The large settlement seemed to span a quarry, a chasm and the rocky side of a small hill, and the base of the settlement was walled in with rough palisades. A number of structures, rough cabins, huts and one large longhouse, were grouped together around a large fire. Beyond that, a second palisaded wall surrounded hundreds and hundreds of tents. Squat, wooden watchtowers were situated every few hundred feet along the walls. One large stone structure was built over the stream, and spewed smoke into the air. Goblins, orcs and a few humans milled about the larger structures; the goblins seemed to be grown to unnatural sizes, with strange, misshapen, bulging muscles, but they were clearly still smaller than the towering orcs. The main action seemed to be around the chasm, the mine tunnels built into the sides of the hill and the large stone building. The unnaturally larger goblins seemed to lord over the rest of the population, mostly humans and smaller, weaker goblins, who brought carts of stone to the large stone building, then returned to the mine for more. Conditions seemed to be harsh, and as Fairy Dragon circle, the druid watched a human child be pulled away from its mother, both screaming, with the mother hauled to stocks located outside of the second wall surrounding the tents. She was locked into the stocks with a bit of show put on by the guards. Strangely, while most of the muscle harassing the humans to work seemed to be goblins and orcs, a few humans are among them, and seemed just as cruel. Fairy Dragon returned to Veit and D'arcy and reported what they'd seen. Veit seemed deeply disturbed by the news and claimed it was worse than he thought. D'arcy was hesitant to get any closer to the settlement and risk a confrontation, as they were vastly outnumbered. Veit wanted to know more about the rocks the goblins were mining, and Fairy Dragon explained that their companions back in Victor may know a little more about that. Veit wanted to be put in touch, and so they resolved to return to the city as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, back in Victor on the fourth day of the competition, Wood elf rogue Mindratis was plotting with his companion and prostitute companion, Sandrea, about how best to get into contact with Veit and get information from him. He'd decided to dress himself up as a prostitute and offer himself to the dwarf with Sandrea's help. When Veit returned that afternoon, Mindratis sent Sandrea ahead of him, though she was quickly and rudely turned away by Veit, and ran away crying at her failure. Mindratis, disguised as a lady prostitute, offered himself to Veit as prized company. Veit seemed dubious, and while Mindratis needled away, attempting to get the dwarf drunk at first, eventually he pulled a knife on the old dwarf, demanding information. Veit explained that he'd been interested in why a noble human had been hiring elves to incapacitate one of the Festival champions. Veit believed it may be connected to the Lord of Victor and the goblin activity in the region, and proposed they help one another. Veit explained that he'd sent a companion away to fetch some others who may be able to help, and they resolved to meet later in the evening. Fairy Dragon searched around Victor, eventually convincing tiefling sorcerer Vanderjesus, who had been proselytizing in the Plaza of the Strong to bring more into her followers, to meet with the dwarf later in the evening. Fairy Dragon found half-air spirit monk Aubrey outside of the Golden Medal, who took the druid to half-orc fighter Phryne, and they promised they'd meet at Molli Mae's to see what the dwarf knew. The five met, along with the mysterious scholar, D'arcy Myrios, only after Aubrey and Phryne confronted Mindratis about his part in the attack on The Giantess. They all met in Veit's room, and he explained that he'd been looking into the goblin activity for someone who cared a great deal about Victor and its people, though he wouldn't say who. He explained that, more than a decade ago, arrested criminals seemed to simply disappear from Victor's jail. He eventually found that the Royal Guards were carting their prisoners south of the city, where they were handed off to a group of goblins who had bought some land, an old iron mine. Now Veit and the heroes know that the human prisoners are being harshly worked in the mines, but Veit knows anyone who claims such would likely be arrested and shipped off themselves, or killed. Veit explained he had an inkling they'd find what they needed in the documents of the Lord of Victor, Lord Cecilia, since any land deals on Victor's land have to go through her, and he knows she's previously had dealings with the goblins. Veit proposed that tomorrow, while most of Victor was at the final Championship in the Coliseum, he cause a distraction to pull more of the Royal Guards away, and a small group break into the Lord of Victor's manor and see if they can find any further evidence. He promised gold, and that the person he was working for could provide them favours should they need it. The heroes discussed their plans before breaking for the evening. The next morning, Aubrey and Phryne went to the Coliseum for the final Championship game. They were told to don full battle gear, and found themselves on the Coliseum grounds for a battle royale amongst the five Champions. The Giantess instantly turned on Phryne, a mad battlelust in her eye, while Aubrey immediately ran into a confrontation with the elven Champion, Arlyn. Alla Myrios, the human farmer Champion, simply danced about on the periphery of the battle, readying herself should anyone turn on her. Phryne and The Giantess battled madly, with the fighters trading blows, The Giantess with an enormous war hammer, Phryne with her signature trident. Aubrey used all his martial training to down Arlyn, who quickly bled out onto the Coliseum grounds and died. Aubrey then ran to the fierce fighting of the two women warriors. Aubrey swung his quarterstaff, battering The Giantess and turning a backhand slap on All, sending the young farmer sprawling. Phryne seemed near defeat, but summoned a well of strength with her and downed her friend The Giantess before facing off against her traveling companion, Aubrey. Aubrey summoned the elemental power within and blasted Phryne with a Fist of Unbroken Wind, sending the fighter flying back and sprawling in the dirt, defeated. The crowd roared the approval at the conclusion of an amazing Championship competition. In the aftermath of the battle the final score was tallied. Despite a glorious victory in the battle royale, Phryne's score surpassed Aubrey's by a single point, so the now revived fighter was crowned Champion of Excelsion, given the Golden Belt of Excelsion, and granted a sack of gold and a boon by the local temple. Aubrey took away a silver medallion and a large bag of gold, while bronze was awarded to the kin of Arlyn in honour of the fallen--and somewhat disgraced--Elven champion. Meanwhile, somewhere else in Victor, the outcome of the other heroes efforts remains to be seen. ACTIVE QUESTS -Phryne is allowed to request a boon from the worshippers of Excelsion (also, resolve STR and CON modifiers in relation to the Golden Belt) -Mindratis, Fairy Dragon, D'arcy and Edlee are to help Veit by infiltrating the Lord of Victor's manor -Investigate the encroaching dark forces from the East for the forest spirit (party thinks that the magical and destructive properties of tealstone, these goblin factories and Gazek from Gobelton have something to do with it) -Escort Edlee to Elysium